Pillsbury Baptist Bible College: Clearwaters Bible Conference

Here at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College, it is our custom to begin the second semester with the Richard Clearwaters Bible Conference.  This event honors the memory of the man who essentially founded Pillsbury College in 1957.  Our special speaker this year is one of my personal friends, Dr. John Hutcheson.  John is Field Representative for Frontline International Missions in Taylors, SC.  John and I worked together at Bob Jones University in the 1970s.  John was also in the pastorate for 25 years or so before joining Frontline Missions International a few years ago.  John challenged us to make 2008 a more spiritually profitable year than 2007.  He also shared the some of the stories and testimonies of persecuted Christians from all over the world.  Those of us who enjoy religious freedom here in the United States have no real idea of how difficult it is for our Christian brothers and sisters in many countries around the world.  All in all, John helped us to get off to a great start for second semester.

The World's Largest Swimming Pool

With the overnight temperatures 15 degrees below zero up here in Minnesota in recent days, this story from the London Daily Mail struck my fancy.  It seems that a resort in southern Chile has designed and built the world's largest swimming pool.  According to the article in the Daily Mail, "[The swimming pool] is more than 1,000 yards long, covers 20 acres, has a 115-foot deep end, and holds 66 million gallons of [salt] water."  Think of it—this pool is ten football fields long.  If you had twenty acres of property, you could have your subdivision and build quite a few houses.

Basically, you can make of it what you will, but it seems like nothing is sacred anymore.  I am certain that this Chilean resort invested a huge sum of money to develop this "natural" theme park.  Undoubtedly, people from all over the world will make a visit, just so that they can say, "I swam in the largest swimming pool in the world!"  I can't say that I really blame them for feeling that way, especially since the thermometer up here in Minnesota has had a hard time getting above zero the last few days.

Politics 2008

If you are the kind of person who loves unpredictable politics, 2008 is certainly your year.  This is the first presidential election in decades where there is no incumbent president or incumbent vice president running for election.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I generally support the Republican nominee, and I have been doing so for some years now.  But I would have to say that I am in a bit of a quandary about the candidates on my side of ballot.  Several of my favorite candidates have strengths, but they also have weaknesses.  It may be that we are seeing a reassessment of what issues are going to be important in the eyes of the voters this coming November.

So stay tuned for a very interesting election process to develop.  Everyone gets to be his or her own pundit.  Indeed, the professional pundits have been off the mark already in Iowa and New Hampshire.  I will offer more personal thoughts as the process develops.

One last thought—all of us will probably have an opportunity to vote in a primary or participate in a caucus.  Let me encourage you to do your part in electing the next president of the United States.

Christmas Vacation Over the Years

For some thirty-five years, Nancy and I have enjoyed those wonderful days known as "Christmas Vacation."  For the last couple of decades or so, Nancy and I have stayed home rather than traveling during the Christmas Holidays.  It was not always that way, and it would be interesting to reflect on some of those early Christmases.

Nancy and I were married in 1970, so our first Christmas together was in December 1970.  We were seniors at Bob Jones University, and we decided that it would be too expensive to drive home to Michigan for the holidays.  We worked in Greenville during Christmas, but it was a bit lonely for us.  It was our first Christmas away from home.  Bob and Dottie Harris, BJU faculty members, invited several of us over to their home for a Christmas gathering.  I will always remember their kindness and thoughtfulness.  It was just what we needed to get us through that Christmas.

A year later (1971), we did make it home for Christmas.  On our way back to Greenville from Michigan, we were involved in an accident on Interstate-40 near Newport, Tennessee.  We ended up in the median between two bridge abutments.  No one was hurt, but we were concerned about Nancy, who was three months pregnant with Cynthia.  Fortunately, Nancy and Cynthia did not have any problems as a result of the accident.  Our Pontiac station wagon was not easily repairable, so we had to rent a car to get us back to Greenville.  We learned a good lesson—someone other than the driver needs to stay awake if at all possible.

In December 1973, when Cynthia and Tricia were still quite young, we flew home to Michigan.  That was quite the adventure, especially when we returned to Greenville in a near-empty plane on New Year's Eve.  We did make it back to Michigan the next several years, but the last year that we drove home to Michigan for Christmas was December 1979, when we had five children seven years old and younger.  As we drove back to Greenville from the Detroit area, we ran into a snowstorm at Cincinnati.  We ended up staying overnight in Florence, Kentucky.

Starting the Christmas of 1980,  Nancy and I decided that it was time to stay home for Christmas and establish our own Christmas traditions.  And so it has been from that time until now.  We enjoyed spending Christmas in Greenville through 1982.  Then we were in Huntington (WV) for the Christmas of 1983.  Having moved to Owatonna in 1984, we have been here every Christmas for the nearly the last twenty-five years.  I am personally glad that I don't have to drive long distances in winter weather.

Generally, all seven kids (and spouses and grandkids) make it back to Grandpa and Grandma's house for Christmas.  We have a nice Christmas Dinner and then open presents in the afternoon.  Then it's time for games and conversation.  By Christmas night, the last of the food and dessert has been served, and everyone has full stomachs and more importantly, full hearts.  We celebrate Christ's birth, and we love the benefits of having our family together at this most special time of year.